Lawmakers belonging to Nigeria’s lower parliament, the House of Representatives have called on the Executive arm of government to urgently commence negotiations for the Nigerians still in the hands of Boko haram.
The lawmakers made the demand on the executive to make it a matter of urgency to have those in captivity released safely.
The lawmakers made the call at plenary on Tuesday following the execution of a mid-wife with the Red Cross on Monday October 15.
A motion on the matter was sponsored by a lawmaker from Imo State, Mr. Chike Okafor, who reiterated the urgent need to take steps to rescue the remaining captives from the custody of the insurgents.
In the opening address of his motion, Mr. Okafor told the lawmakers that it was a sad moment for the Parliament as well as the nation, since the killing of the second aid worker, Hauwa Liman, who was abducted alongside several colleagues by Boko Haram early this year.
Excerpt of the opening address read;
“It is painful to note that despite efforts by the Federal Government who opened a negotiation channel immediately and put all possible efforts on table to secure an agreeable bargain for the safe release of the abductees, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Boko Haram sect took a horrible path of executing these helpless and selfless voluntary health workers who gave their time on earth for the care and wellness of devastated Boko Haram victims.”
Several lawmakers while debating on the motion asked President Buhari to step down if he was unable to resolve the security challenges in the country.
In a separate resolution, the lower House urged the executive arm to intensify efforts in collaborating with other countries to acquire advanced technology to tackle terrorism in the country.
Police is Conniving with APC to Stop My Election Petition – Adeleke
The resolutions of the Nigerian lawmakers comes a day after a faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), executed Hauwa, an aid worker who was a mid-wife with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
She was abducted in March this year, when the group overran an IDP camp in Borno state; she was abducted alongside two other aid workers, one of whom was executed earlier.
The news of her death broke on Monday, after a deadline the terrorists gave to the Federal Government to meet their demands elapse.